The Admissions Strategist

How to Earn Lifetime Advantage: Pavan’s Story

by Martin AlesMarch 15th, 2018

Reading time: 0 min

Pavan earned admission into his target university with a scholarship!

Summary

Problem: Despite Pavan’s good grades and extracurricular activities, he and his parents were unsure of his writing skills. Pavan’s strength was in science and math, not in writing and the liberal arts. Pavan’s parents believed he needed to learn about the nuances of college admissions essay writing, but were not native English speakers. They knew it would be difficult for them to teach Pavan about what type of vocabulary he should use, how he should structure his essays, and respond to writing prompts.

Solution: Pavan enrolled in our college admissions essay writing boot camp. We taught him the values of clear and concise writing, which allowed Pavan to extrapolate his prior experiences and compose strong essays. He learned how to mine his personal experiences, and connect them to his future ambitions. He also used his handouts to directly attack essay prompts and precisely structure his responses.

Result: Pavan earned admission to a top school in the Mid-Atlantic region on scholarship. Per the university’s regional recruiter, the admissions committee was impressed with his knowledge on soccer and cricket injuries, both of which he’s endured. He will be studying biology in hopes of joining the sports medicine industry and helping others in similar situations.

Lesson Learned: Engaging Pavan with interesting questions and scenarios ultimately helped him identify experiences that created the most compelling essays. Pavan learned new vocabulary, essay structures, how to attack writing prompts with confidence. He and his parents saw our college admissions boot camp as a minor investment for a lifetime’s advantage.

The Full Story

Pavan’s mother, Asha, contacted Transizion in the summer of 2016. Another mother had told Asha about the successful results her daughter experienced after attending our boot camp. She also commented on how much her daughter enjoyed the instructors, finding them both knowledgeable and supportive.

Asha and her husband were concerned about Pavan filling out the Common App and writing his personal statement and admissions essay. He was a smart kid with a good head on his shoulders, but Pavan struggled to write consistently well. While he had interesting ideas, unique experiences, and colorful insight, Pavan needed encouragement to get his ideas on paper. Fearing judgment, he was reluctant to divulge the more pivotal moments of his life.

We knew Pavan could succeed. High school students have intriguing perspectives and experiences. Expose them to questions and scenarios that are not only interesting but relatable. We specialize in engaging students with clear college admissions essay concepts that they can also use for any writing project. We teach writing values, not just rules.

Pavan entered our boot camp with great questions. We taught him how to attack essay prompts, divulge the right amount of personal information, and describe himself as interesting and unique. There are plenty of students with good grades and extracurricular activities, but how does the student translate this experience into his perspective and stand out? The admissions committees look for: How is the student greater than the sum of his parts? During the boot camp, we heard incredible stories about his life, and the lessons he learned from his struggles.

When Pavan was 13, he was slide tackled while playing soccer. His opponent’s cleats dug into Pavan’s foot, dislocating his ankle and causing excruciating pain. For weeks, Pavan tried to play through the injury, which only exacerbated the condition. He didn’t want his parents to know the seriousness of the injury because he didn’t want his soccer season to end. After a few months of therapy, it was clear to Pavan and his parents that his soccer season was over. Even worse, his ankle continued to bother him during the offseason, which essentially ended his competitive career.

Our boot camp exercises showed us this hidden portion of Pavan’s life. Step-by-step, he learned to break down his experiences and write about them with precision and clarity.

He used these lessons for his college admissions essays for six schools. We reviewed his writing for structure, grammar, and response delivery. During the third and final review of his draft, his instructor pronounced it outstanding.

Pavan plans to study Biology to become a youth sports medicine doctor. He doesn’t want young people playing through critical injuries as he had. He says, “It’s all about paying it forward.” His target university was so impressed by his perspective that they offered him admission with a significant scholarship.

This fall, Pavan will attend his top choice in the Mid-Atlantic region, majoring in Biology and minoring in Psychology. We will keep in touch, advising him on ways to network with professionals and find lucrative internships. We’re glad to be a part of his story. Good luck with your college success, Pavan!